1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to an automated machine tool for machining workpieces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With advent of a modern technology machining operations play important role in manufacturing various parts, such as, for example, a housing for an automotive axle device, cylinder heads, crankcases or transmission housings. Each machining tool involves a lathe tool that generates circular sections by rotating the workpiece, so that a cutting tool can peel metal off, creating a smooth, round surface of the workpiece. A drill or punch press is used to remove metal in the shape of a hole. Other tools are used for various types of metal removal operations such as, for example, milling machines, saws, and grinding tools. The aforementioned tools used in the advanced machining operations are incorporated in a typical machining cell.
Often an unfinished workpiece needs to have some parts removed or scraped away in order to create a finished product, on transfer lines or in the machining cell. During the machining of the workpieces, where chips are removed from the workpiece, very large amounts of liquid coolant are required to cool the workpiece and the machining tool, to lubricate the machining tool and to take away the chips removed from the workpiece during the machining. Each machining tool is supplied coolant from a centralized filtration system, or a stand alone filtration system. The centralized filtration system requires a pipe to be supplied to and from the centralized filtration system to each machine tool. The contaminated coolant which carries machining chips, extracted from the workpieces being machined, back to the centralized filtration system is performed by a pump, as known to those skilled in the art.
Typically, each machining tool also includes a mist collection system to collect mist generated by the coolant. The mist collection system is sized for a certain amount of air extraction from each machine tool. Mist collectors are generally mounted in its own sound enclosure requiring an individual power supply, control panel as well as a coolant containment system.
Typical methods of loading machining tools with an automation system include specific pick and place style loaders, robot loaders, such as, for example, Gantry loaders. The automation used to place the pre-machined workpiece to the machining tool and to remove the machined workpiece from the machining tool vary in design type and style, depending on the workpiece being transported and machined, and the customer specific requirements. The machining tools equipped with the Gantry loaders are required to be installed in-line, to a very tight tolerance, as the Gantry loader loads each machining tool along a common center-line. With this practice, each operation of automation contains its own electrical and pneumatic control power, which requires additional floor space. Alluding to the above, the aforementioned mist collection system, central filtration system, and the automation system require additional floor space, manpower and extra time for assembly and installation the same to perform machining operations.
The art is replete with various systems and methods, which involve machining tools having a system for cooling, lubricating, and flushing chips and abrading grit away from the workpiece machined. Some of the aforementioned systems are taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,849 to McEwen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,380 to Bratten; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,735 to Bratten.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,735 to Bratten, for example, teaches a collection system for collecting coolant and chips from a series of machining tools and for cleaning the coolant in a filter system and re-circulating the coolant back to the machining tools. The machining tools are supported above and are connected to a floor by bases or supports. A series of connected trough sections extend beneath coolant collectors of the machining tools so as to be positioned to collectively receive all of the coolant from the machining tools. The collection system taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,735 to Bratten has to be re-configured and moved to adapt to various machining tools stationary located at manufacturing plants, which requires a significant amount of time and mass of redundant operations. The collection system and the machining tool are not interconnected to be relocatable between different locations, e.i. manufacturing plants.
Other prior art machining systems tried to solve the problem by delivering the mist collection system, the centralized filtration system, the workstations separately one from the other and assembling the same at the manufacturing plant. Although the prior machining systems are widely used in various industries today, these prior art designs have proven to be extremely complicated, and therefore non practicable, or have been non-flexible for the manufacturing environment. In addition, these prior art machining systems require at least ten or fifteen persons and up to six and seven weeks of installation time to prepare the system for machining operations.
The opportunity remains for a new design of the machining systems that will eliminate the need of extra units and offer the flexibility needed to process various workpieces in modern manufacturing environments.